Bear in Heaven
Time Is Over One Day Old
DEAD OCEANS
6/10
Brooklyn-via-Alabama trio Bear in Heaven continue to melt down their prog and electro sensibilities into a white-hot core for their fourth album Time Is Over One Day Old. The verve of the group’s 2009 breakthrough release Beast Rest Forth Mouth even returns to some extent. “Time Between” is the sound of a band successfully angling for higher billing at a festival, standing alongside similar synth-rock artists such as Hooray for Earth and Here We Go Magic. There are shimmering guitars, a chorus that blasts like an unstoppable energy beam, and a synth-bass groove that slithers underneath the bedlam. Bandleader Jon Philpot’s hangdog lyrics are often underappreciated, but on the percussive opener “Autumn” the simple words drive the elusive tale of ardor: “Silent romance / Guided by chance / Just like everything.” “If I Were to Lie” and “Demon” also showcase a palate for more lyrical and musical pluck. With Time, Bear in Heaven forges ahead, exploring the depths and details of their tightly wound, hypnotic musical layers.
